Goodbye Shadows
by nolegirl26
Summary: One-shot. Ziva has nightmares, where does she turn? Just a little Tiva friendship fluff. Kind of a songfic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is what happens when I don't want to deal with real life. Any mistakes are due to lack of caffeine. The song is If You Can't Sleep by She & Him.

*****

Ziva David had not been sleeping well lately. She had been having nightmares, returning to Saleem's camp every night for another round of pain and suffering. She tried overworking herself, hoping utter exhaustion would mean a dreamless sleep. No matter how many hours she worked or how far she ran each day, the physical and mental fatigue did nothing to quell the dreams. Her doctor had prescribed sleeping pills, but all they did was make it more difficult for her to wake herself from the dream. She tried sleeping with her lamp and television on, hoping the sound and light would seep into her subconscious, giving her sweet dreams. No such luck. She even listened to a self-help tape she stole from McGee which promised that she would be able to control her dreams. That resulted in her searching for a duplicate tape on the internet to replace the one she broke in half out of frustration. The only time she'd had a peaceful, dreamless sleep was in Paris, when she woke to find herself enveloped in Tony's strong arms. They had pretended it had not happened at the time, but Ziva was beginning to regret that decision. She desperately longed for the safety of his arms to lull her into a nightmare-free slumber. She ordinarily would never have been knocking on his door on a Friday night, hoping that she could fall asleep in his arms. However, after nine days of getting less than 2 hours of sleep each night, she threw all her pride out the window. She was so exhausted that she was standing there, willing to beg him to hold her.

As Tony answered the door, she took in his sweats and t-shirt, his bleary eyes, and the overly concerned look on his face. "Ziva, what's wrong?" he questioned immediately, his voice husky from sleep. Ziva was slightly irritated that he could tell something was bothering her from one look, but she pushed that aside as he ushered her in.

"I am sorry I woke you. I cannot sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I relive Somalia. Every night, except that night in Paris, when you were there. I know I should not be asking you this, but I am just so tired. I need sleep," Ziva rushed, the exhaustion evident in the cracking of her voice. "Will you hold me just until I fall asleep? I would not ask unless I was desperate…"

"You okay if we go in my bed?" Tony interrupted. "The couch is a little small."

"Um yes, that's fine," Ziva stammered, not believing that she had actually asked her partner to hold her. "Thank you, Tony," she sighed, the relief evident in her voice.

Tony pulled her down the hall into his bedroom. Glancing at her jeans and sweater, he pulled out a pair of sweats and his favorite Buckeyes t-shirt, gently pushing her towards the bathroom to change. When she came out, he had to hold back a moan at how good he thought she looked in his clothes. She climbed into his bed as he switched off the light, crawling under the covers. He pulled her to him, and she rested her head on his chest, laying an arm over his stomach, tangling her legs with his. He wrapped his arms around her, absentmindedly running his fingers up and down her spine.

_If you can't sleep, I'll be there in your dreams  
I'll be there in your dreams if you can't sleep at all  
And in your dreams, I'll touch your cheek  
And lay my head on your shoulder  
_

_Goodbye, shadows  
_

She reveled in the warmth of him, breathing in his uniquely comforting smell. She could hear his heart beating under her ear and watched her fingers as she traced lazy patterns on his chest. She allowed her senses to take over, relaxing into his arms. "Good night Tony," she murmured into his chest. The up and down motion of his chest combined with his hands running over her back lulled her to sleep. For the first night in a long time, she knew she would be safe from fear and suffering. 

_You're far away if you can't see my face  
If the world is cold but the sun shines the same  
Shut your eyes, there are bluer skies  
For your embrace to my heart_

Goodbye, shadows  


Tony held Ziva close as he heard her breaths even out and turn to soft snores. He felt like he was under a spell, cast over him by the fingers that were now splayed across his chest and the scent of her shampoo lingering in her hair. As he continued rubbing her back, he pondered the strange turn of events his night had taken. He had known Ziva had not been sleeping well, but he never expected that it would be her knocking on his door, waking him from a very good dream. He was immediately concerned when he saw her and knew he would do anything she wanted if he could ease some of her pain. He had been having a hard time lately watching her struggle. He blamed himself for everything, because if he had not killed Michael, she would not have stayed in Israel. It killed him to think that he caused her suffering. If it helped her, he would hold her forever. He had meant what he said in Somalia. He couldn't live without her. "Sleep tight, Zi. You're safe now. I'm here," he whispered quietly into her hair as he drifted off to sleep.

_If you can't sleep, I'll be there in your dreams  
I'll be there in your dreams if you can't sleep at all  
And in your dreams, I'll touch your cheek  
And lay my head on your shoulder_

*****

A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I was reading them on my phone and my sister walked in and asked why I was smiling like an idiot. I was really happy to see that people like it! Hope you like this!

*****

Tony Dinozzo was a man of action. When something was wrong, he fixed it. As so, as the sun rose on his first Saturday off in a month, he found himself trying to find a way to help the woman who was currently snoring in his arms. Ziva had slept the whole night through, barely moving at all, and for that, Tony was grateful. He had seen through the mask she wore and knew that she was exhausted. He also knew that offering help to her when she thought she was hiding how she felt would earn him a glare and a lecture about how "fine" she was. But now that she had come to him and asked for him, he figured that it would be safe to broach the subject. So he continued to lie in bed, his arms around Ziva, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb in circles on her back while he tried to devise a plan of attack, a way to help his partner.

He was so lost in these thoughts that he did not notice as the snores stopped and Ziva woke. At first, she could not remember where she was, but as she inhaled the familiar scent of Tony and felt him rubbing her back, she was brought back to the previous night, to falling asleep in her partner's warm arms. As she took in her surroundings, she noticed that the sun beaming through Tony's blinds was up high. She smiled to herself because that meant she had slept a long time, something she had desperately needed. She felt so well rested and comfortable lying tangled up in Tony. As she stretched her legs down, rubbing her feet along his calves, she felt Tony jump and pull her closer. She turned her head, resting her chin on his chest, looking him in the eye.

"I didn't realize you were awake," he breathed, studying her face to make sure she was okay. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yes thank you. I feel like I slept for a month. What time is it?" she asked, curious about how long she actually had slept.

Tony turned his head slightly to look at the clock. "11:31."

"I do not think I have ever slept past 10 in my life," Ziva replied, shifting to lay her head back on his chest.

"Seriously?" he asked, thinking about her life. "You know what, I actually believe that. You are not the lazy weekend morning type. Me, I could spend all day in bed, as long as there's food." As if on cue, his stomach grumbled. "Brunch time!"

"Brunch? What is a brunch?"

"Breakfast plus lunch equals brunch. You know when you wake up too late to eat breakfast, but too early to eat lunch? You combine them," explained Tony, pushing the covers down a little. Ziva slowly slid away from him, stretching her arms and back as Tony climbed out of bed.

"If you are cooking the food, then it is never too early or too late for a meal. You just make what you want, yes? Why combine two meals?" she asked, sitting against the headboard.

"Because, Ziva, that's just what you do. I don't make the rules, I just follow them," Tony responded, happy that things between them did not seem awkward. "You stay here and I will make you some brunch. By the way, there's an extra toothbrush in the drawer in there. You might want to use it," he joked, winking at her. She shot a glare at him as he walked out of the room, humming. Ziva snuggled down into the covers, surrounded by the Tony's scent and the warmth lingering on the sheets and his soft singing drifting in from the kitchen. She was glad that the previous night, her show of weakness, had not made things change between them. Not yet, at least. She knew that eventually Tony would want to talk about it. For now, she was happy to lie in his bed and revel in the feeling of a good night's sleep.

*****

A/N: So there's probably only one more chapter, unless I get carried away. Thanks for reading!


End file.
